DCS (Distributed Control System)

A DCS achieves control through intelligence distributed physically around the process being controlled, rather than through a single centrally located unit. DCS and SCADA are often confused: DCS is typically used within a single, geographically compact facility running a continuous process (a refinery or chemical plant, for example), while SCADA is built for monitoring and controlling equipment spread across a wide geographic area, like a utility’s substations across a region.